Current Issues

Front Underrun or Underride Guards

NHTSA has been lying to the American public since 1992. Most victims are killed in front underride crashes. NHTSA’s lies about front underride are used to make other underride guards not practical. If you walk or ride a bike in America it is just about side underride guards! False. Front underrides are only high speed occurrences due to the closing speed of both the car and truck. False. Additive speeds are so high they are...

Wedge Effect

Serious flaw in the U.S. rear underride guard regulation. Why is it so critically important that rear underride guards be mounted at the same height as car and other light vehicle bumpers? Do you see the similarity between the wedge shape and modern automobiles. If the guard engages above the cars bumper then penetration under the protective guard has already occurred!

NHTSA 2015 NPRM Rear Guards

Vision Zero

SAFETY AND MOBILITY http://www.visionzeroinitiative.com/ http://www.monash.edu/muarc/research/reports/papers/visionzero The Vision Zero is the Swedish approach to road safety thinking. It can be summarized in one sentence: No loss of life is acceptable. The Vision Zero approach has proven highly successful. It is based on the simple fact that we are human and make mistakes. The road system needs to keep us moving. But it must also be designed to protect us at every turn. “Life and health can...

Mini-Guide to safe truck and car parking

Kentucky single-unit coal truck with poor guard and poor visibility or conspicuity. Pre-plan your trip to include safe parking areas such as truck stops, company parking, and motels. Map low-speed roadways if needed to avoid high-speed roadway parking or stopping. http://www.truckstops.com/ Quote from the Wall Street Journal: “The FHA found that one of the most critical issues cited by law enforcement and safety regulators in the study is the dilemma they face when they...

Unsafe Parked Trucks

This document examines the truck parking issues in the U.S. but should be applicable to decrease parked truck fatalities in any country, sub-standard underride guards and trucks and trailers with poor conspicuity are a problem around the world! Quote from the Wall Street Journal: “The FHA found that one of the most critical issues cited by law enforcement and safety regulators in the study is the dilemma they face when they encounter trucks parked—often...

Side Guards and Fake Side Skirts

President Bill Clinton updated Ronald Reagan’s Executive orders establishing cost-benefit analysis with Executive Order 12866. These orders limiting corporate costs of safety regulations have made it almost impossible to pass effective government agency rules for over twenty years. We just finished a government rulemaking on rear underride guards, NHTSA wants to just legalize the guards already on the road as did the Clinton Administration twenty years ago. Studies could not find statistical improvement in lives...

Rear Underride Guards Guide

The CMVSS No. 223 requirements are intended to provide rear impact guards with sufficient strength and energy absorption capability to protect occupants of compact and subcompact passenger cars impacting the rear of trailers at 56 km/h (35 mph). We recognize, however, that benefits may accrue from underride crashes at speeds higher than 56 km/h (35 mph), if, e.g., a vehicle’s guard exceeded the minimum performance requirements of the FMVSS. NHTSA requests information that would assist...

Conspicuity – Reflective Tape and Reflectors

It is time to adopt modern reflective colors for truck and trailer conspicuity enhancements. The Underride Network had several member activists receive awards from then President Clinton for their work for reflective tape on big rigs and trailers. We recommended then and now that fluorescent colors replace the poor performing red and white to save lives. A Canadian study found white tape increased driver recognition by over 350 feet from that of red and white...

Roadway Design and Lane Departure

Wide forgiving roadsides with obstructions removed or protected by crash cushions. Rumble strips to warn of lane departure. Crash Cushion Guardrails. Wide Shoulders – For local roads and streets, a minimum clear zone of 7 to 10 feet is considered desirable on sections without curb. In the discussion on collectors without curbs, a 10-foot minimum clear zone is recommended. Clear Zone – The Roadside Design Guide defines a clear zone as the total roadside border...